Russia claims drone has hit and destroyed British-supplied Challenger 2 tank
A British-supplied Challenger 2 tank has been destroyed by a drone, according to Russian social media.
The grainy footage, released on several Telegram channels including Rybar, appears to show the main battle tank being hit by a drone in Russia's Kursk region, which Russian marines from the 155th Guards Naval Infantry brigade claimed had been destroyed as a result.
Russian forces last year destroyed a British-supplied Challenger 2 in Ukraine - the first to have ever been taken out by enemy action. All crew members survived.
In the latest footage, the main battle tank appears to be backed into thin woodland, which would most likely be to ensure its 'weak spots' of the rear of the hull and engine deck are being offered some protection.
The drone then appears to strike the area between the driver's station and the turret ring, which is a vulnerable area for many turreted vehicles.
A short line of text on the original post accompanies the footage, which can be translated to "Challenger in Kursk, **** you".
There has yet to be any confirmation or further details released by the Ukrainian armed forces in response to the claims.
A post on the pro-Kemlin Rybar channel's account described the recent fighting in Kursk.
It read: "Heavy fighting for Plekhovo and Novaya Sorochina continues in Kursk Oblast. The enemy is firing cannon artillery and using numerous drones.
"The enemy's concentration of efforts is evidenced by the destruction of a heavy British tank by our 155th Brigade's marines, a rather rare and difficult-to-operate tank.
"The very fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces transferred it as a reserve to Kursk Oblast indicates the enemy's intention to hold the occupied lines in our region at all costs.
"The 'North' group of troops advanced through heavy fighting into Novoivanovka and the forested areas in the Malaya Loknya area.
"The enemy is throwing fresh reserves and Nato armoured vehicles into battle and is putting up fierce resistance
"OTRK [probably a reference to the OTR-21 Tochka missile system] and Tornado-S [multiple rocket launcher] crews continue to work at the collection points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves in the Sumy region reserve to Kursk Oblast indicates the enemy's intention to hold the occupied lines in our region at all costs."
In August, BFBS Forces News understood the British-donated Challenger 2 main battle tanks were reportedly first being used by the Ukrainian armed forces inside Russia's border.
This was following an announcement from the UK Government that British weapons could be used inside Russian territory, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian troops made a surprise incursion into the Kursk region.
The British-donated main battle tanks are believed to have taken part in the operation.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade, which has been operating the British tank since 2023, was deployed in the ongoing incursion.
It is unknown how many tanks may have been involved. The UK donated 14 Challenger 2 tanks in January 2023 to the Ukrainian armed forces as part of their defence against Moscow's invasion.
The Kursk offensive is believed to be the largest of its kind by a foreign army on Russian soil since the Second World War.
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